Meet The Texas McCombs MBA Class Of 2023

Innovation and Leadership

About The Professor: Alex Davern is the former CEO of National Instruments. He is a current Board Member of NI, Inc, Cirrus Logic, FARO Technologies, and Chairman of ESI-Group, and a lecturer at Texas McCombs.

About the Course: Effectively generating innovation and change is critical to the survival and growth of organizations and is an essential component of leadership. This course draws on various theoretical foundations and business cases to develop knowledge and skills in enhancing organizational performance through effective leadership of innovation and change. Among the components of innovation and change leadership covered in the course are: understanding and overcoming organizational barriers to innovation and change, developing organizational capabilities for innovation, leading innovation and change at various levels in the organization, stimulating individual and group creativity, developing and nurturing an innovative culture, structuring innovation activities, managing the innovation implementation process, challenging orthodoxies and assumptions to develop innovations and implement change, and directing planned and emergent change.

From a Student: “Innovation and Change is one of the best classes I’ve taken at McCombs so far. It is definitely recommended if you’re interested in corporate strategy.”

Additionally, Dr. Brené Brown was a visiting faculty member at McCombs this year and taught a very popular MBA leadership course, Dare to Lead

About the Course: Courage is a collection of four skill sets that are teachable, observable, and measurable: Rumbling with vulnerability; living into our values, BRAVING trust, learning to rise. The focus of this course is building these skills and learning how to embed courage in organizational cultures to increase creativity, innovation, accountability, and feedback. We will also explore the differences between armored and daring leadership and the common indicator behaviors we see in organizations that support or undermine courageous cultures. Students who successfully complete the course will receive the Dare to Lead Trained designation.”

 5 REASONS TO CONSIDER TEXAS McCOMBS

1) Innovative Spirit: Outside of the unmatched Austin location and down-to-earth student body, what attracted me to the Texas McCombs MBA program was its incredible reputation as a bastion of support and innovation within the community. McCombs’ “Human Centered, Future Focused” mission is far more than a platitude, it is a reality that I experienced first-hand as I got to know the program. As I was deciding to apply, I spoke with dozens of students who were not only willing but eager to give me advice and encouragement on the process. It was clear that this support would extend lifelong with McCombs’ vast and proud alumni network. On top of its people-first culture, I also witnessed McCombs’ enterprising spirit. As an intimate program situated in one of the largest research universities of the world, McCombs is an incubator of talent and new ideas. Just look to the numbers — McCombs boasts 6,000 venture-backed founders with over $5.8 billion raised and 4,600 alumni in venture capital or private equity.”
Addie Olsen Rasche (’23)

2) Austin Location: “Austin’s electrifying thirst for innovation, celebration of diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit create the perfect training ground for dynamic, impactful leadership. Its vibrant spirit, independent thinking, and, yes, “weirdness” develop a healthy habit of challenging the status quo, with a signature sense of fun while you’re at it. As an explosive center of technology giants, the city is also an ideal arena for experimenting with the rapidly-evolving developments we will leverage and champion as pioneering leaders in a digitally-driven economy.”
Alexis Arnold (’23)

3) Flexible Curriculum: “Apart from experiential learning opportunities including Global Connections, McCombs+ projects, and various Fellows programs, I was particularly drawn to the flexible curriculum. The ability to more freely explore with a wide array of electives allows you to “choose your own adventure” for a highly personalized experience and energizing sense of possibility. For me, business school is a golden opportunity to satisfy my curiosity through broad exposure to many different people, skills, and dimensions of leadership. Given its academic freedom to do just that, McCombs is the perfect fit.”
Alexis Arnold (’23)

4) Experiential Learning: “I was really intrigued by the Texas McCombs+ Program for the opportunity to participate in micro-consulting projects and get one-on-one communication and leadership coaching in addition to the phenomenal curriculum McCombs offers. The micro-consulting projects were especially important since it offers me the opportunity to explore new functional areas or industries, network with prospective employers, and add valuable experience to my resume even before I begin my internship next summer.”
Carson McReynolds (’23)

5) School Traditions: “My favorite tradition was a weekly happy hour series called “Think and Drink”. These events provided a social outlet for the entire MBA program every Thursday evening at a different venue each week. As a first-year MBA, this is how I formed relationships with most of the second-year class; as a second-year MBA, this is how I formed relationships with most of the first-year class. This tradition was unique because it welcomed everyone, did not require or pressure anyone to partake in the happy hour specials, and exposed people to the different neighborhoods and vibes that co-exist in Austin, TX.”
Kyle Johnson (’21)

“Being a self-proclaimed football fanatic, I feel incredibly grateful that I got to experience one football season before COVID. While my undergrad institution had a football program, our stadium was an hour drive from school, so I never got to experience true game day vibes on campus. Football is such a big part of UT’s culture and I loved being able to hang with classmates in a more laid-back environment, eat some BBQ and sport burnt orange.

However, it wouldn’t be a business school function without some ‘business’. Each MBA tailgate was sponsored by a different company who would host an informal networking event prior to the game. It was an awesome way to get to know alumni in a lower pressure environment. In addition, our building, Rowling Hall, is on the corner of campus and downtown Austin and our tailgates always sported amazing food from local eateries. I am looking forward to resuming this tradition in post-COVID world and as an alumni supporter.”
Chelsea Martell Evans, (21)

ADVICE TO PROSPECTIVE McCOMBS STUDENTS

“This is broad advice applicable to any school, but I took advantage of some lulls in work during the quarantine to be deliberate in studying for the GMAT. There are more resources out there than you might expect and you don’t always have to go for the expensive options. I got my practice books from Half-Price Books (a used bookstore) and many of them still had unused codes for online practice tests. I utilized those apps and treated GMAT practice, in particular the quant section (which involved skills with which I was long out of practice), almost as a daily crossword. I would just do a few problems on my phone or laptop if I had five minutes of idle time.”
Colton Williamson (’23)

“I treated applying to business school a little like dating. I had coffee chats with students and recent alumni, did some serious online student org stalking, and went to a few school sponsored events. When it came time to write my essays, I was able to be extremely detailed about why McCombs and what path I wanted to pursue. I think the time I put into researching the program allowed me to be more excited, natural and authentic in my interview and reassured McCombs I would come in guns blazing to make the most of my time in the program.”
Chelsea Martell (’21)

“McCombs isn’t interested in anything other than everything you are. Don’t dilute the full power of your authentic self by trying to fit into a mold of what you feel is expected of an MBA applicant. There is no such thing as the “typical” path here, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. McCombs truly celebrates diversity of background and perspective as an essential element of its transformational community that challenges, inspires, and changes you throughout your MBA journey. (Take it from me – my background is in the fashion industry and social media marketing!) Above all else, really lean into your uniqueness, commit to your own story, and share your passions with infectious enthusiasm.”
Alexis Arnold (’23)

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergraduate Alma Mater	Last Employer
Alexis Arnold	Fair Oaks, CA	Stanford University	Gap
Rick Dude	Northport, AL	American Intercontinental University	Rocket Dollar
Pablo Lopez-Lachman	Los Cabos, Mexico	Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM)	Santander Bank
Carson McReynolds	Keller, TX	United States Military Academy	U.S. Army
Novo Manzoor	Dhaka, Bangladesh	University of Dhaka	Securelink Services Ltd. (SELISE)
Oshane Mcrae	Bronx, NY	Vanderbilt University	Center for American Progress
Addie Olsen Rasche	Atlanta, GA	Tulane University	C3 Presents
Raya Stantcheva	Somerset, NJ	Brandeis University	Silicon Valley Insight
Taylor Thompson	Houston, TX	Spelman College	Accenture
Colton Williamson	Austin, TX	University of Notre Dame	Freelance Editor & Producer
Natalie Yammine	Fort Worth, TX	Barnard College	TransPerfect Translations
Miki Yumiyama	Ehime, Japan	Osaka Prefecture University	Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.